Apparatus and method for mounting a cascade support ring to a thrust reverser

ABSTRACT

A thrust reverser for a jet engine of a mobile platform. The thrust reverser includes a hinge beam defining a first track and a latch beam defining a second track. The thrust reverser also includes at least one cascade support ring having an upper end portion and a lower end portion. A first fitting is disposed at the upper end portion of the cascade support ring. The first fitting includes an engagement portion slidably positioned within the first track. A second fitting is disposed at the lower end portion of the cascade support ring. The second fitting includes an engagement portion slidably positioned within the second track.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/368,525 filed on Feb. 17, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,101. Thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to thrust reversers for jetengines and more particularly to apparatus and methods for mountingcascade support rings to thrust reversers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Thrust reversers are commonly used to reverse the direction of thrustgenerated by an aircraft jet engine so that the same may be used as adeceleration force for the aircraft. As shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, manyexisting thrust reversers 10 include a fixed structure 12, a sleeve 14that is translatable relative to the fixed structure 12, and a pluralityof cascades 16 each of which includes a plurality of vanes 18. The fixedstructure 12 of the thrust reverser 10 includes a torque box 20, a hingebeam 22, a latch beam 24, and a cascade support ring 26 mounted to eachcascade 16.

In addition, the cascades 16 are commonly bolted to the thrust reverser10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, nut and bolt assemblies 28 are used toattach the fore end portion 30 of each cascade 16 to the torque box 20.Similarly, nut and bolt assemblies 32 are used to attach the aft endportion 34 of each cascade 16 to its corresponding cascade support ring26.

Referring to FIG. 5, the upper and lower end portions 36 and 38 of thecascade support rings 26 are, in turn, bolted to the respective hingeand latch beams 22 and 24, thus forming relatively fixed joints 25therebetween. More specifically, nut and bolt assemblies 40 are used toattach the end portions 36 and 38 of the cascade support rings 26 tofittings 42, which are integral to the hinge and latch beams 22, 24.

A drill cage or jig is typically used to aid in accurate drilling of thetorque box 20 and the cascade support rings 26 with the bolt holes,which are used for attachment of the cascades 16 to the torque box 20and to the cascade support rings 26. The corresponding bolt holes in thefore and aft end portions 30 and 34 of the cascades 16 are alsoprecisely located within certain minimal tolerances to ensure a properconnection.

Although the bolted joints 25 used for mounting cascade support rings tothe latch and hinge beams have worked well for their intended purpose,the inventors hereof have recognized that it would be even morebeneficial if such joints required less assembly time and tooling costs.Accordingly, the inventors have recognized that a need exists in the artfor a device and method for more efficiently attaching cascade supportrings to latch and hinge beams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve these and other needs in the art, the inventors hereofhave succeeded in designing apparatus and methods for mounting a cascadesupport ring to a thrust reverser. In one exemplary embodiment, thethrust reverser includes a hinge beam, a latch beam, and at least onecascade support ring having an upper end portion and a lower endportion. A first fitting disposed at the upper end portion of thecascade support ring. The first fitting includes an engagement portionslidably positioned within a first track defined by the hinge beam. Asecond fitting is disposed at the lower end portion of the cascadesupport ring. The second fitting includes an engagement portion slidablypositioned within a second track defined by the latch beam.

In another preferred form, the present invention provides a method ofmounting a cascade support ring to a thrust reverser for a jet engine ofa mobile platform. In one embodiment, the method comprises: providing anupper end portion of the cascade support ring with a first fitting;providing a lower end portion of the cascade support ring with a secondfitting; providing a hinge beam of the thrust reverser with a firsttrack sized to slidably receive therein an engagement portion of thefirst fitting; providing a latch beam of the thrust reverser with asecond track sized to slidably receive therein an engagement portion ofthe second fitting; and slidably positioning the engagement portions ofthe first and second fittings within the first and second tracks,respectively.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples below,while indicating at least one preferred embodiment of the invention, areintended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limitthe scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood from the detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary thrust reverser;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the thrust reverser shown takenalong the plane 2—2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional thrust reverser cascadeinstallation;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cascade including a fore endportion attached to a torque box and an aft end portion attached to acascade support ring;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional bolted joint disposedbetween a cascade support ring and either a hinge beam or a latch beamof a thrust reverser;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a slider joint disposed between acascade support ring and either a hinge beam or a latch beam inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the slider joint shown in FIG. 6;and

FIG. 8 is a side view of a cascade support ring including a fittingdisposed at its upper and lower end portions.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding featuresthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

Referring to FIGS. 6 through 8, there are shown slider joints 100 and100′ in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.As described in detail below, the slider joint 100 is used to mount anupper end portion 108 of a cascade support ring 102 to a hinge beam 104of a thrust reverser. The slider joint 100′ is also used to mount alower end portion 108′ of the cascade support ring 102 to a latch beam104′ of the thrust reverser.

As shown in FIGS. 6 through 8, each slider joint 100, 100′ includes afitting 106, 106′ disposed at the respective upper and lower endportions 108, 108′ of the cascade support ring 102. The fitting 106disposed at the upper end portion 108 includes an engagement portion 110sized to be slidably received within a track 112 defined by the hingebeam 104. The fitting 106′ disposed at the lower end portion 108′ of thecascade support ring 102 includes an engagement portion 110′ sized to beslidably received within a track 112′ defined by the latch beam 104′. Itshould be noted, however, that in other embodiments the tracks can bedefined by the upper and lower end portions of the cascade support ringswith the fittings being disposed on the hinge and latch beams.

For ease of identification and ease of presentation and not for purposesof limitation, the fitting 106 disposed at the upper end portion 108 ofthe cascade support ring 102 will also be referred to as the firstfitting 106, whereas the fitting 106′ disposed at the lower end portion108′ of the cascade support ring 102 will also be referred to as thesecond fitting 106′. Similarly, the track 112 defined by the hinge beam104 will also be referred to as the first track 112, and the track 112′defined by the latch beam 104′ will also be referred to as the secondtrack 112′.

As best shown in FIG. 7, each engagement portion 110, 110′ has across-section that is substantially circular. However, othercross-sectional shapes (e.g., rectangular) are also possible for theengagement portions depending on the particular application in which theslider joints 100 and 100′ will be used.

Preferably, an outer surface of each engagement portion 110, 110′ islined or covered with a suitable friction-reducing, wear-resistantmaterial. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8, the engagement portions110, 110′ are covered with a wear-resistant tape 114, 114′ thatprevents, or at least substantially reduces, wear-and-tear on theengagement portions 110, 110′.

A wide range of materials may be used for the cascade support ring 102and/or the first and second fittings 106, 106′. Preferably, lightweightmaterials are used for the cascade support ring 102 and the fittings106, 106′, such as aluminum or composite materials (e.g., graphite epoxylaminate). In addition, a wide range of manufacturing processes may beused to fabricate the cascade support ring 102 and the fittings 106 and106′. By way of example only, the cascade support ring 102 may be formedvia an extrusion process, and the fittings 106, 106′ may be formed via aforging and/or machining process.

The first and second fittings 106, 106′ may be attached to therespective upper and lower end portions 108, 108′ of the cascade supportring 102 using any of a wide range of suitable fastening systems ormethods (e.g., mechanical fasteners, machining, among others). In theexemplary embodiment of FIGS. 6 through 8, each fitting 106, 106′ isbolted to the corresponding end portion 108, 108′ of the cascade supportring 102 with nut and bolt assemblies 116, 116′. Alternatively, thefittings 106 and/or 106′ and the cascade support ring 102 may beintegrally formed as a single component.

The first and second tracks 112, 112′ will now be described in furtherdetail. The first track 112 is defined by the hinge beam 104 and issized to slidably receive therein the engagement portion 110 of thefirst fitting 106. The second track 112′ is defined by the latch beam104′ and is sized to slidably receive therein the engagement portion110′ of the second fitting 106′.

As best shown in FIG. 7, the first and second tracks 112, 112′ each havea cross section that is substantially c-shaped. Alternatively, thetracks may have a cross section that is substantially u-shaped withcorners forming right angles. Other cross-sectional shapes, however, arealso possible for the tracks depending on the particular application inwhich the slider joints 100 and 100′ will be used.

Preferably, an inner surface of each track 112, 112′ is lined with asuitable friction-reducing, wear-resistant material. In the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 7, a steel liner 120, 120 is disposed adjacent theinner surface of each track 112, 112. The steel liner 120, 120′ reducesthe friction between the track 112, 112′ and the correspondingengagement portion 110, 110′ positioned within the track 112, 112′. Thesteel liner 120, 120′ also prevents, or at least reduces, wear-and-tearof the tracks 112, 112′.

A wide range of materials may be used for the tracks 112, 112′. By wayof example only, a lightweight material is preferably used for thetracks 112, 112′, such as aluminum.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 6 through 8, the hinge beam 104 andthe first track 112 are integrally formed as a single component.Similarly, the latch beam 104′ and the second track 112′ are also formedas a single component. Alternatively, either or both of the tracks 112,112′ may comprises a separate component that is attached to thecorresponding hinge or latch beam 104, 104′ using a suitable fasteningsystem or method (e.g., mechanical fasteners, among others).

The joints 100 and 100′ are assembled as follows to mount the cascadesupport ring 102 to the thrust reverser. The cascade support ring 102and thrust reverser are positioned relative to one another to align theengagement portion 110 of the first fitting 106 with the first track 112and to align the engagement portion 110′ of the second fitting 106′ withthe second track 112′. Once aligned, the cascade support ring 102 and/orthe thrust reverser are moved towards one another so that the engagementportions 110, 110′ are slidably received within the first and secondtracks 112, 112′, respectively.

Once assembled, the joints 100 and 100′ support the cascade support ring102 in the inboard and outboard directions. The cascade support ring 102is restrained in the fore and aft direction by the cascade 126 (FIG. 6)to which the cascade support ring 102 is bolted 128 (FIG. 7).

The joints 100 and 100′ also provide at least some rotational freedom tothe engagement portions 110, 110′ even while they are positioned withinthe tracks 112, 112′. For example, the engagement portion 110 may beable to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise a few degrees about thepoint 124 (FIG. 7) when radial loading on the cascade 126 deflects thecascade support ring 102.

In another preferred form, the present invention provides a method ofmounting a cascade support ring to a thrust reverser for a jet engine.In one embodiment, the method comprises: providing the upper end portion108 of the cascade support ring 102 with the first fitting 106;providing the lower end portion 108′ of the cascade support ring 102with the second fitting 106′; providing the hinge beam 104 of the thrustreverser with the first track 112; providing the latch beam 104′ of thethrust reverser with the second track 112′; and slidably positioning theengagement portions 110, 110′ of the respective first and secondfittings 106, 106′ within the first and second tracks 112, 112′,respectively.

Accordingly, the present invention allow cascade support rings to bemounted to thrust reversers more efficiently and easier than the methodspresently recognized in the art. For example, the present inventioneliminates the need for using a drill cage to provide the hinge andlatch beams with bolt holes for attachment of the cascade support rings.This, in turn, allows for reductions in assembly time and tooling andpart costs. In addition, the flexibility of the slider joints 100 and100′ allows cascade support rings to shift or float relative to thehinge and latch beams 104, 104′, thus allowing the fore and aft endportions of the cascades to be more easily fastened to the torque box 20and cascade support ring 26.

In addition, the slider joints 100 and 100′ can be sized considerablysmaller and lighter than the bolted joints 25 shown in FIG. 5. Duringoperation of the jet engine, torque loading is transferred from thecascades into the cascade support rings, which then transfer the loadsto the hinge and latch beams. To accommodate for such torque loading andthe moments created thereby, known methods in the art employ large andheavy bolted joints to mount the cascade support rings to the hinge andlatch beams.

With the present invention, however, the rotational nature of the sliderjoints 100 and 100′ eliminates, or at least substantially reduces, theability of the torque loads to react a moment in the plane of thecascade support ring into the hinge and latch beams. Instead, the torqueloads are reacted in the form of hoop and reaction loads. Because theslider joints 100 and 100′ do not have to accommodate relatively largemoments produced by the torque loading, the slider joints 100 and 100′can be sized considerably smaller and lighter than the bolted jointscurrently being used.

It is anticipated that the invention will be applicable to any of a widerange of aircraft (e.g., but not limited to, commercial jets, privatejets, military jets, among others) regardless of the manner in which theaircraft is piloted (e.g., directly, remotely, via automation, or in acombination thereof, among others). Indeed, the present invention shouldnot be limited to just aircraft either. Rather, it is anticipated thatthe invention will be applicable to other mobile platforms. Accordingly,the specific references to aircraft herein should not be construed aslimiting the scope of the present invention to only one specificform/type of aircraft or to aircraft alone.

It is also anticipated that the invention will be applicable to any oneof a wide range of engines (e.g., but not limited to high bypass jetengines, turbofan engines, gas turbine engines). Accordingly, thespecific references to jet engine should not be construed as limitingthe scope of the present invention to only one specific form/type ofengine.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and is inno way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. Thus,variations that do not depart from the substance of the invention areintended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations arenot to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. A thrust reverser for a jet engine of a mobile platform, the thrustreverser comprising: at least one cascade support ring; at least onetrack defined by one of the cascade support ring and another portion ofthe thrust reverser; and at least one engagement portion defined by theother one of said cascade support ring and said another portion of thethrust reverser, the engagement portion being sized to be disposedwithin the track to couple the cascade support ring to the thrustreverser.
 2. The thrust reverser of claim 1, wherein the engagementportion is sized to be slidably received within the track.
 3. The thrustreverser of claim 1, wherein the track comprises a substantiallyc-shaped cross section, and wherein the engagement portion comprises asubstantially circular cross section.
 4. The thrust reverser of claim 1,wherein the engagement portion is integral to the cascade support ring.5. The thrust reverser of claim 1, wherein the engagement portion isattached to the cascade support ring.
 6. The thrust reverser of claim 1,wherein the track is integral to the thrust reverser.
 7. The thrustreverser of claim 1, wherein the track is attached to the thrustreverser.
 8. The thrust reverser of claim 1, wherein the at least onetrack comprises a first track and a second track, and wherein the atleast one engagement portion comprises a first engagement portion sizedto be disposed within the first track, and a second engagement portionsized to be disposed within the second track.
 9. The thrust reverser ofclaim 1, wherein: the thrust reverser includes a hinge beam defining thefirst track, and a latch beam defining the second track; and the cascadesupport ring includes an upper end portion defining the first engagementportion, and a lower end portion defining the second engagement portion.10. The thrust reverser of claim 1, further comprising a wear-resistantmaterial lining an inner surface of the track.
 11. The thrust reverserof claim 1, further comprising a wear-resistant material lining an outersurface of the engagement portion.
 12. A mobile platform, comprising: ajet engine for generating thrust; a thrust reverser for reversingdirection of the thrust; at least one cascade support ring; at least onetrack defined by one of the thrust reverser and the cascade supportring; and at least one engagement portion defined by the other one ofsaid thrust reverser and said cascade support ring, the engagementportion being disposed within the track to couple the cascade supportring to the thrust reverser.
 13. The mobile platform of claim 12,wherein the engagement portion is sized to be slidably received withinthe track.
 14. The mobile platform of claim 12, wherein the mobileplatform comprises an aircraft.
 15. The mobile platform of claim 12,wherein: the thrust reverser includes a hinge beam defining a firsttrack, and a latch beam defining the second track; and the cascadesupport ring includes an upper end portion defining a first engagementportion sized disposed within the first track, and a lower end portiondefining a second engagement portion disposed within the second track.16. Apparatus for mounting a cascade support ring to a thrust reverserof a jet engine, the apparatus comprising: at least one track defined byone of the thrust reverser and the cascade support ring; and at leastone engagement portion defined by the other one of said thrust reverserand said cascade support ring, the engagement portion being sized to bedisposed within the track.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein theengagement portion is sized to be slidably received within the track.18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the track comprises asubstantially c-shaped cross section, and wherein the engagement portioncomprises a substantially circular cross section.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the engagement portion is integral to the cascadesupport ring.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the engagementportion is attached to the cascade support ring.
 21. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the track is integral to the thrust reverser.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 16, wherein the track is attached to the thrustreverser.
 23. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising awear-resistant material lining an inner surface of the track.
 24. Theapparatus of claim 16, further comprising a wear-resistant materiallining an outer surface of the engagement portion.
 25. Apparatus formounting a cascade support ring to a thrust reverser of a jet engine,the apparatus comprising: at least one engagement portion defined by oneof said thrust reverser and said cascade support ring; and means forreceiving the engagement portion therein to couple the cascade supportring to the thrust reverser wherein said means is defined by the otherone of said thrust reverser and said cascade support ring.
 26. A methodof mounting a cascade support ring to a thrust reverser for a jet engineof a mobile platform, the method comprising positioning at least oneengagement portion defined by one of said thrust reverser and saidcascade support ring within at least one track defined by the other oneof said thrust reverser and said cascade support ring.
 27. The method ofclaim 26, wherein the positioning includes slidably positioning theengagement portion within the track.
 28. The method of claim 26, furthercomprising mounting a fitting defining the engagement portion to thecascade support ring.
 29. The method of claim 26, wherein thepositioning includes: slidably positioning a first engagement portiondefined by one of said thrust reverser and said cascade support ringwithin a first track defined by the other one of said thrust reverserand said cascade support ring; and slidably positioning a secondengagement portion defined by one of said thrust reverser and saidcascade support ring within a second track defined by the other one ofsaid thrust reverser and said cascade support ring.
 30. The method ofclaim 29, wherein: the first track is defined by a hinge beam of thethrust reverser; the second track is defined by a latch beam of thethrust reverser; the first engagement portion is defined by an upper endportion of the cascade support ring; and the second engagement portionis defined by a lower end portion of the cascade support ring.